


i am looking directly at it

by indiffrntnewt



Series: my newtmas oneshots [6]
Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24116269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiffrntnewt/pseuds/indiffrntnewt
Summary: Newt wasn't a creep. He was a respectful, well-mannered guy.Still, he couldn't stop staring at Thomas while he was getting dressed.-un-beta'd!
Relationships: Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner)
Series: my newtmas oneshots [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1309421
Comments: 10
Kudos: 197





	i am looking directly at it

It wasn’t that Newt was uncomfortable around guys undressing, really. It was more that he felt like he  _ had _ to look away, to respect their privacy and (even though he’d never say it out loud) to make sure they didn’t get any ideas. Living in the Glade with fifty sexually frustrated, touch-deprived boys meant that stupid things were bound to happen between most of them, and Newt didn’t want any part of that. He was a leader, someone they looked up to, and if he went around starting things up with random Gladers to get himself off, any kind of authority he had would immediately vanish. So, every day, when the boys got dressed either for the day or for the night, Newt would look away. He’d face the Deadheads, usually, or excuse himself to hide in the bathroom. Minho had teased him about it relentlessly, until Newt got his revenge by continuously staring at Minho without speaking for an entire day, making him the most uncomfortable Newt had ever seen him. After that, he’d left him alone, only making a few comments here and there. 

This was different, though. They were no longer in the Glade, most of the Gladers were gone and this wasn’t just  _ any  _ Glader. This was Thomas, his Tommy, the stupid Greenbean who’d messed up everything they’d worked on within days and gotten them out of the Maze at the same time. He was the one guy Newt trusted more than anyone besides Minho -- even if they’d only known each other for a couple of days. Being around Thomas felt safe, easy,  _ comfortable.  _ It reminded Newt yet again that they had a past, a history, something more beyond their few memories of the Glade. He often wondered if they’d known each other, before, and looking at Thomas,  _ thinking about Thomas,  _ told him that they did. They’d hit it off from the start, talking and joking around as if they’d been friends for years. And as much as it scared Newt, it was nice having a relationship like that. Which is why he was so scared of fucking it up. 

They were in their room, surrounded by bunk beds, getting ready for the day. It was only the second day at this new compound and Newt had slept in for the first time in years despite the constant nightmares. When he woke up, he found himself alone with Thomas, who was still asleep. His hair was ruffled and his mouth was slightly opened, cheek resting on his left arm. It was so goddamn cute that Newt simply stood there, staring, for a few seconds before he forced himself to look away. 

He’d gotten dressed quietly, careful not to wake Thomas. Although he knew nightmares were bound to haunt all of them, he wanted to let him sleep as long as possible in case something crazy happened. He needed the rest, especially after the crazy things he’d been through this past week. 

When he got back from the tiny bathroom in the back of the room, Thomas was sitting on his bed, looking tired. Newt chuckled. 

“Morning, Tommy. Or afternoon.”

Thomas looked up, shooting him a tiny smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Newt’s heart ached for him -- he could almost see the memory of Chuck getting shot playing on repeat behind Thomas’ eyes. 

“Morning,” Thomas said, his voice scratchy due to him just waking up. Newt swallowed loudly, and mentally hit himself for the thoughts that just subconsciously shot through his head (because really -- how old was he? Twelve?  _ Pull yourself together, Newt _ ).

“How was your night?” He asked. Thomas looked away, his face blank, probably sensing the unasked question;  _ any nightmares?  _

“It was alright.” 

Newt nodded, sitting down next to him, bending over the slightest bit so he wouldn’t hit his head against the top bunk. 

“The others have already woken up, they’re probably out. We can join them, if you want.”

“Yeah,” Thomas said, his knee shaking. “Yeah, alright.”

He seemed on edge, and Newt placed a hand on the small of his back without thinking about it, trying to comfort him. “It’s okay, Tommy. Get dressed.”

Thomas stood up at that, disappearing into the small bathroom. When he came back, his face was wet as if he’d washed it and he used his t-shirt to dry it. Newt had to force himself to look away. 

“Clothes are over there,” Newt gestured towards the small dresser on the left side of the room. Thomas nodded, not speaking a word as he walked towards it. He pulled out some clothes, examining them before choosing a light blue t-shirt and dark blue trousers. 

“I’ve gotta talk to you and the others about something, Newt, something I saw last night.”

Newt nodded absentmindedly, not being able to tear his eyes away from Thomas’ back. 

“I know it sounds crazy, but…” Thomas continued rambling about something, but Newt didn’t catch any of it as Thomas started to get undressed,  _ right in front of him,  _ and Newt fucking  _ blushed,  _ because  _ really Thomas, why would you do this -  _

He shook his head, trying very hard to block the thoughts that were flooding his mind and smoothly draped Thomas’ blankets over his lap -- just in case. Still, he was unable to avert his gaze as Thomas did the most adorable hopping-dance move to get his trousers on, still talking. Newt realized he hadn’t listened to any of it and mentally slapped himself once again. He was  _ supposed  _ to listen, damn it. That was the one thing he’d always praised himself on -- his ability to listen to his friends whenever they needed him -- and here he was, fucking it up.

Thomas pulled his shirt over his head and Newt almost choked. Sure, there had been other guys in the Glade that were fit (oh god, Minho would resent him for admiring Thomas’ muscles more than his), but Newt had never really paid attention to most of them. Thomas, however. Thomas was fucking  _ ripped.  _ And Newt hated it, but he mostly hated how much he loved it.

Newt should have looked away. 

Thomas, apparently having realized that Newt hadn’t been listening, had turned around and was now looking at him, frowning slightly while holding the new, light blue t-shirt in his hands ( _ jesus, Tommy, just put it on already _ ). 

“Newt?”

Thomas’ voice effectively snapped him out of his daze and he looked away almost immediately, desperately hoping Thomas hadn’t noticed him staring. A blush crept up on his cheeks and he nodded. “Hm?”

“What do you think?”

Newt looked up. Thomas had pulled the shirt over his head, thank god. Newt wasn’t sure he possessed the amount of self-control he would’ve needed if Thomas had continued staring at him whilst being half-naked.

“I…”

He struggled, trying to come up with an excuse as to why he hadn’t heard a word of what Thomas had been saying. When that didn’t work, he tried to dig into his memory to find something,  _ anything,  _ that Thomas had told him. 

Nothing. 

Thomas was standing closer to him now, a worried look on his face. “You okay?”

Newt sighed, deciding to just tell him the truth -- part of it, at least. “Yeah, sorry. I just spaced out a little.”

Thankfully, Thomas smiled at that, folding his arms. “I’m hurt, Newt. Thought you’d promised to always listen to me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Newt chuckled and looked down, desperately trying to get rid of the heat in his cheeks before Thomas noticed anything. 

When he looked back up, Thomas was smirking, and there was a certain glint in his eyes that Newt had never seen before. It wasn’t surprising, really -- Thomas was full of surprises, after all, and Newt had gotten used to that pretty fast. Still, Newt was slightly taken aback. In the time he’d known Thomas, he figured he knew as much about the boy as he could. He knew what he looked like when he was scared, sad, angry, even happy on rare occasions.  _ This,  _ however, was something he’d never seen before. At least not with Thomas. It was a mix of confident and  _ something  _ else and Newt absolutely hated it. It made him feel exposed. Vulnerable. 

“Tommy -”

And then Newt realized it. Thomas  _ knew.  _ The look on his face when Newt spoke up had said everything. Thomas looked triumphant, maybe flattered, even. 

“Yes, Newt?” Thomas asked, still smirking. Newt almost rolled his eyes. 

“Oh, shut up.”

Thomas grinned at that, unfolding his arms. “It’s alright, Newt. I’m flattered, really. What was it? The back muscles? Or my legs?”

“I’m gonna kill you.”

“Arms?”

Newt stood up at that, grabbing the pillow from the bed and smacking Thomas on the head with it. Thomas raised his arms in defence, laughing for real this time. It was a loud, clear laugh, and something warm filled Newt’s insides. 

“Alright, alright! I’ll stop teasing you!” Thomas exclaimed, chuckling. “I promise I never noticed you checking me out. If…”

“If what?” Newt grumbled, biting back a smile as he glared at Thomas. 

“If you give me a kiss.”

Newt hit him again.


End file.
